The Hyderabad police have named 23 individuals, including Telugu actor Allu Arjun, as accused in the Sandhya Theatre stampede case that claimed the life of a woman and left her minor son hospitalised. In a press statement issued on Saturday, December 27, police said a chargesheet had been filed before the court following the completion of the investigation.
The stampede occurred during the premiere show of Pushpa 2 on December 4, last year, where a large crowd had gathered, leading to chaos and overcrowding.
Allu Arjun has been listed as accused number 11 in the chargesheet. Police said that 14 of the accused were arrested during the investigation, while nine others, who obtained anticipatory bail, were served legal notices. Allu Arjun was previously arrested by the police for the incident. According to the police, the actor visited the theatre though the event did not have permission.
Police said that the investigation found serious lapses in planning, crowd management, security arrangements and coordination among the theatre management, event organisers, private security personnel and others involved in managing the event. These failures, they added, directly contributed to the stampede, they said.
Agamati Ram Reddy, also known as Pedda Ram Reddy, a partner-owner of Sandhya 70mm Theatre, has been named the prime accused. Several of his partners — Agamati Ram Reddy alias Chinna Reddy, M Sandeep, Sumeeth, Agamati Vinay Kumar, Agamati Ashutosh Reddy, M Renuka Devi, Agamati Aruna Reddy — have also been named in the chargesheet. The theatre’s manager, M Nagaraju, and gatekeeper, Gandhakam Vijay Chander, were listed as accused as well.
The chargesheet has named Allu Arjun’s associates, including his managers Josya Bhatla Santosh Kumar and Sharath Chandra Naidu, along with Tatipamula Vinay Kumar, the in-charge of the actor’s fan association, for their alleged role in the events leading to the stampede.